About Renata "Ren" Southard

Ren Southard is an award-winning urban designer, planner, and architect, licensed in Maryland. She currently serves as the Acting Director for the Baltimore City Department of Planning. After more than a decade in private architectural practice, she joined Baltimore City in 2018 to lead multidisciplinary design and planning teams across City Government. 

Ren’s leadership is born from a deep love of people and a diverse professional background that bridges private practice and public service, with community always at the center. Her career reflects her commitment to building Baltimore as a thriving city of neighborhoods; Ren helped found and lead the Redevelopment Strategy Planning Team at the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development after serving as Principal of the Baltimore City Planning Department’s Urban Design Division. Her commitment to civic design extends beyond City Government, earning her the 2022 AIA Baltimore Community Architect Award. 

Throughout her career, Ren has maintained a strong commitment to community service, volunteering with the Neighborhood Design Center and offering pro-bono design to artist groups during her years in private practice. In public sector roles, Ren continued her focus on community centered development. 

Ren earned her Bachelor of Arts while working as a designer and project manager in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Nashville. After settling in Maryland in 2012, she completed a Master of Architecture with a Certificate in Urban Design at the University of Maryland. She remains engaged with the architecture and planning programs as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and Morgan State University. 

Ren serves on the AIA Maryland Board and is the former chair of Baltimore’s Urban Design Committee. She is a proud resident of Baltimore.